Norfolk/Wrentham February 2012

Vol. 1 No. 3 Free to Every Home and Business Every Month February 1, 2012

Gump’s Future Takes Shape

OLYMPIC DREAMScontinued on page 5

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PAIDThe Sun Chronicle

34 So. Main St.Attleboro, MA

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BY PATRICK COLEMAN

In the coming weeks, Gump’sFarm will begin to take on a newappearance. The existing home isscheduled to come down at theend of January, and the construc-tion on four new affordablehomes should be underway thisFebruary. In addition to the fournew homes, plans for the use ofthe remaining seventeen plusacres are becoming clearer.

The new homes are being con-structed by Howard Bailey. Thebuilder started the Fox Run de-velopment on land in both Nor-folk and Wrentham off ParkStreet. Thanks to a requirement inthe town's bylaws, a developermust construct one affordablehome for every ten developed.Needing to build five homes tomeet the requirement, the devel-oper will construct the homes atno cost to the town and will usethree lots that the town set asideat the time it purchased the land,as well the Gump home whichwas purchased by the NorfolkMunicipal Housing Trust(MHT). “The Municipal Hous-ing Trust purchased [Gump’s]with the idea of making it afford-able homes,” says Selectman Jim

Lehan and member of the MHTcommittee.

According to Lehan, HowardBailey will build all four homesat the same time, going from onefoundation to the next. Three ofthe homes will be 4 bedroom, 21/2 baths, and use all energy starappliances. The 4th home will bea 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath cape re-

placing the home originally onthe property. The homes will allbe deed restricted and count to-wards Norfolk’s affordable homeinventory. “We are looking foroccupancy next summer,” Lehansays.

Preliminary plans for the re-maining acres are also taking theshape. An architect has been

hired and is in the process of fi-nalizing the financial analysis anddrawings on how to use the re-maining acres. When that portionof the farm was purchased, it wasdone so with the understandingthat it would be used for passiverecreation and some type of com-

GUMP’Scontinued on page 2

This view of Gump’s Farm will be vastly different in the coming months.

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BY PATRICK COLEMAN

Her division is called Jumpers,and it requires a person to ridehis/her horse as fast as possible andjump cleanly over obstacles. It’sabout speed and control and theability to work in unison with ananimal that is stronger and biggerthan you. It’s Wrentham’s CaseyLorusso’s sport and one day, shehopes, it will take her to theOlympics. But that’s down theroad. First she needs to finish up atStonehill College and continue toadvance in the world of equestri-ans. “I have a ways to go before Itry out for the Olympics,” she saysbut it’s definitely a goal she hashad since middle school.

Lorusso started taking riding les-sons at the age of 7 and early onwent to different competitions. “Iwould ride my ponies and have funand compete,” she explains. “My

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Luke Davies and Emily Atkinsonwere honored at the WrenthamLions Club dinner on Thursdaynight, January 5th, at Luciano’sRestaurant in Wrentham. Lukeand Emily, along with their parentsand teachers, were guests at theLions Club dinner to receiveawards for their entries in the2011-2012 Lions InternationalPeace Poster Contest. Lions Club

International sponsors the contestto emphasize the importance ofworld peace to young peopleeverywhere.

Luke and Emily are both in 6thgrade at Wrentham ElementarySchool and have Miss White andMrs. Fownes as their teachers.Their entries were judged by apanel of Lions Club members fororiginality, artistic merit, and por-trayal of the contest theme, “Chil-dren Know Peace.”

Luke received a $100 check fortaking first place in the local com-petition and Emily received a $50

check for taking second place.Both also received Lions Interna-tional certificates at the recognitiondinner.

The Wrentham Lions Club willhold its monthly meeting Thurs-day, February 2nd at Luciano’srestaurant on Route 1 in Wren-tham. Social time is 6:30 p.m.with dinner and the meeting start-ing at 7 p.m. Anyone interested inlearning more about the WrenthamLions Club may attend.Contact Paul Strittmatter, Mem-bership Chair at 508-384-2688 orCarl Evans, President at 508-384-1190 for more information.

munity farming. The Gump’sFarm Committee, which has beengenerating ideas for use of theland, is planning to recommendthat Kids’ Place Playground bemoved from Boardman St. toGump’s Farm. In addition, thecommittee plans to recommendthe remaining property be used forcommunity gardens and trails forwalking and biking. Voters willhave an opportunity to approvethese recommendations at the Maytown meeting. “What we're rec-ommending is to bring Kids’ Placeonto Gump's Farm. It's the perfectplace,” Lehan says. “It’s a greatgateway to the town.”

Scott Dittrich, the chairman ofthe MHT, is pleased about the fournew homes being built on Gump’s,as well as the one on Mirror Lake.While he wished the projects weremoving along faster, he believesthe arrangement with Howard Bai-ley is a positive for Norfolk. TheTown was able to purchaseGump’s Farm for $300,000 andthe homes will be sold for$145,000 to $165,000. The pro-ceeds from the home sales will goback to the MHT for additional

property purchases. “It’s a win winsituation,” Dittrich says. “It’s a winfor the community and it’s a winfor the builder. We’re going to endup with real quality homes andfunds back into our kitty to buymore property and buy morehomes.”

The MHT was created over threeyears ago in an effort to help Nor-folk meet the state law requiringtowns to have 10 percent of theirhousing inventory priced belowmarket rates. The group success-fully partnered with Habitat forHumanities in the development ofits first affordable home on LelandRd. The home has been occupiedsince March, 2011. A secondHabitat Home will be built at 82Main St. With the addition of thenew homes, Norfolk will bearound 3 %. “The town is strug-gling to get to 10 percent,” Dittrichsays. “But we are working con-stantly trying to add to our inven-tory.”

Both Lehan and Dittrich stressedthe quality of homes being builtand the efforts placed to make sureeach fit the character of the neigh-borhood. “We’re going to have ter-rific affordable houses for fivefamilies in town,” Dittrich says.“When the project is completed,people will be shocked at how nicethese homes are and how well theyfit into the neighborhoods. Wespent lots of time making sure thatthe fit the neighborhoods’ homes.”

Page 2 Local Town Pages www.norfolkwrenthamnews.com February 1, 2012

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GUMP’Scontinued from page 1

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February 1, 2012 Local Town Pages www.norfolkwrenthamnews.com Page 3

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On February 11th, RandomSmile Project will hold its annualfundraiser. The 5th Annual Ran-dom Smile Gala will be held atChristina's in Foxboro. The eventis a semi formal, black tie optionalaffair.

There will be a surf and turf dinner with a live performance byThe Marcels. A raffle for a 2012Jeep Wrangler will be held andthere will also be live and silentauctions.

A few of the items up for bid in-clude Patriot and Red Sox memo-rabilia, vacations, golf relateditems and electronics. Tickets are

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BY PATRICK COLEMAN

At the King Philip MiddleSchool approximately 50 studentsin 7th and 8th grade meet once amonth throughout the year to con-duct experiments and gain addi-tional exposure to scientificconcepts in a fun environment.Dubbed the Science Club, thegroup was started by the teachersin the school’s science departmentand meets after school. This year,the group is tackling conservationand has several initiatives plannedto bring the science of energy con-servation to the students and thecommunity as well.

In January, students participatedin Conservation Conquestion, alive game show sponsored byNSTAR and Radio Disney forgrades 6 to 8. It focused on howstudents can save energy and helpthe environment. Students alsosold CFL bulbs as part of afundraiser for the middle school.Another project the Science Clubwill tackle is on up-cycling whichtakes recycled materials and turnsthem into something useful. “Wewould also like to try to increasethe amount of recycling that occursin the school,” says Dr. Michele

Austin, a teacher in the KP MiddleSchool Science Department.

The idea for the Science Clubstarted last year. The science de-partment took teams of students tothe MIT Science Trivia Challengelast year. “We had such a positiveresponse from students and parentswho attended, as well as requestsfrom students who were not ableto participate, that the scienceteachers started discussing theneed for a science club,” Austinsays.

In the coming months the scienceclub will conduct an energy auditof the school and hold other energyand environmental conservationactivities later in the year. In addi-tion, the club will have programson other topics such as making icecream, while another will focus onsending “secret messages.” Thegroup will hold a rocketry sessionin the spring.

The interest in energy conserva-tion was sparked by the scienceteachers attending a workshopheld by the National Energy Edu-cation Development Project. It wasa good source of inspiration for theschool and the science program.“As a department we felt like there

were some great messages and ac-tivities that we could take back toour students, who could then per-haps take these ideas home withthem as well,” says Austin.

The success of the club has gen-erated a few challenges. “It is dif-ficult at times to fit all our studentsinto a single science lab, when ofcourse safety is always our numberone priority,” says Austin.

The other challenge is to conductthe activity in a 45 minute timeframe. The teachers, Jen Adams,Austin, Kelly Fecteau, Susan Hall,Emily Leone, Kathryn Post, andJamie Wilfert, each plan the meet-ing to last only 45 minutes so thestudents may participate and havetime to take the late bus home. Theother issue is funding. In the fall,the group conducted a pumpkinexplosion and held a foamingtower activity. The expensivechemicals needed to conduct theexperiments are covered by feesthe students pay. “We have tried tobalance fun, hands-on activitieswith keeping the activity fee formeetings to a couple of dollars,”says Austin.

(This article appeared in The Wrentham

Times, www.wrenthamtimes.com)

Young Scientists Meet in New Club

The Federated Church of Norfolkwill hold a Pancake Breakfast onSaturday, February 4th, from 8a.m. to 10 a.m.

On the menu are homemade pan-cakes, ham, sausage, scrambledeggs, hash brown potatoes, cinna-mon rolls, homemade biscuits and

sausage gravy. Omelets will becooked to order.

It’s all you can eat for $7, with aSr. citizen cost of $5. Breakfast isfree for children under age 10. TheFederated Church is located at thecorner of Main Street and Route115 across from the Town Com-

mon. The breakfast is served in thechurch vestry, which is handi-capped accessible.

For more information, contact thechurch office, 508-528-0262.

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The Norfolk Cultural Council issponsoring a Juried Art Competi-tion at the Norfolk Public LibraryMarch 3rd to March 31st.

A reception with awards, art,music and refreshments will beheld on March 10th from 5-7p.m. The competition is open toall artists; cash awards will be pre-sented for the top ten pieces of art.

A non-refundable entry fee ($15for one entry, $20 for a maximumof two entries) made payable tothe Norfolk Cultural Council is re-quired to be considered for the ju-ried competition.

Applications may be sent withthe payment (check or moneyorder) from January 16th throughand including February 3rd.

Artists will be notified of theiraccepted artwork for the juriedcompetition by February 9th viaemail or phone.

Further information and an ap-plication may be requested bycontacting [email protected].

Norfolk Cultural Council JuriedArt Competition March 3-31Applications Will Be Accepted through February 3rd

Paul Molla, president of RandomSmile Project pictured with JohnMorrill, owner of Planet Jeep. AJeep Wrangler will be raffled off atthe organizations annual gala.


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Education Tax RulesParents facing college expenseshave several provisions in the taxlaw to consider. The benefits don’tapply to all, but there is somethingof interest for many families.

Tax CreditsThe Hope credit (renamed theAmerican Opportunity Tax Credit)is available for certain tuition andfees, and it allows you to reducetaxes annually up to $2,500 perstudent for four years of college.The credit is equal to 100% of thefirst $2,000 of qualified expensesand 25% of the next $2,000.

The lifetime learning credit cov-ers any year of post-secondary ed-ucation, with a maximum credit of$2,000, no matter how many stu-dents in the family are eligible.

Both the American OpportunityTax Credit and lifetime learningcredits phase out for taxpayerswith higher incomes.

Other EducationTax IncentivesEducation savings accounts. Youmay establish an education sav-ings account (previously called aneducation IRA) with a nonde-ductible contribution for any childunder 18. The annual contributionlimit is $2,000. Funds can accu-mulate and be paid out tax-free forqualified college expenses, includ-ing tuition, fees, books, supplies,equipment, and certain room andboard costs. The funds can also be

used to pay for elementary andsecondary (K-12) school expensesat public, private, or religiousschools. Eligibility for an educa-tion savings account starts phasingout at $95,000 of AGI for singletaxpayers and $190,000 for mar-ried folks.

Individual retirement accounts(IRAs). Existing IRAs can also bea source of college funds. You maymake withdrawals before age59—without penalty for amountspaid for college or graduate schooltuition, fees, books, room andboard, supplies, and equipment.

Education savings bonds. Inter-est on Series EE and Series Ibonds issued after 1989 is nontax-able when used to pay tuition andfees for you or your dependents.This tax break begins to phase outonce income reaches certain lev-els.

Section 529 plans allow individ-uals to set up an account on behalfof someone else (say a child orgrandchild) that can be used to paycollege expenses. There are twotypes of plans:

Prepaid tuition plans are de-signed to hedge against inflation.You can purchase tuition credits,at today’s rates, that your child canredeem when he or she attends oneof the plan’s eligible colleges oruniversities. Both state and privateinstitutions can offer prepaid tu-ition programs. Using tuition cred-its from these programs is tax-free.

College savings plans are state-

sponsored plans that allow you tobuild a fund to pay for your child’scollege education. Your contribu-tions are not tax-deductible, butonce in the plan, your moneygrows tax-free. Provided the fundsare used to pay for qualified col-lege expenses, withdrawals aretax-free. Qualified expenses in-clude tuition, fees, books, supplies,and certain room and board costs.Private institutions are not allowedto set up college savings accounts.

Student loan interest deduction.Interest on certain student loanscan be deducted whether or notyou itemize your deductions. Themaximum deduction is $2,500 peryear over the loan repayment pe-riod.

Other tax benefits. Most scholar-ships remain tax-free, nontaxableemployer-paid tuition may beavailable, and education expensesrelated to your job still may be de-ductible.

When you start examining yoursituation, remember that many ofthese provisions are designed sothat you can’t benefit from morethan one in any given year. Your fi-nancial advisor can help guide youthrough the maze and help ensurethat you receive the maximumpossible benefit

Jeffrey Schweitzer, EPA, CEP,ATP offers financial planningservices at Northeast FinancialStrategies Inc., in Wrentham,Mass.

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Save the date! The Norfolk Lions5th annual Chili Fest will be heldon Saturday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m.at St. Jude Church Hall, 86 MainStreet, Norfolk. Come on out andsample, enjoy and vote for your fa-vorite chili from some of the area’sfinest restaurants.

This year’s competition will in-clude chili from Eagle Brook Sa-loon, Horse N’ Carriage, Beckett’sPub, Mr. Dooley’s Olde IrishCountry Pub, Guido’s ItalianRestaurant and James’ Roadside

Cafe. In addition to the chili, mac& cheese, cornbread, drinks anddessert will be served.

All proceeds from this event aredonated to the Norfolk FoodPantry. Tickets are $15 for anyoneover 10 years old and $5.00 for allothers. Seating is limited, so ad-vanced tickets are recommended.Ticket sales will be announcedsoon.

For more information about thisevent, please email [email protected].

Folks enjoying the past Chili Fest .

Norfolk Lions Chili Fest


dad would trailer me to shows, butI wanted to do something more.”

To help her attain more, sheturned to trainer Paul Valliere whoboards horses in Plainville. Hehelped her find a nicer horse andworked with her to get to the nextlevel of competition. “When Istarted training with Vallierethings began to take off,” shesays. “ I figured out what mygoals were and what I wanted todo with my riding.”

It was Valliere who mentionedto her that in Wellington, Florida,riders compete in a 12-week cir-cuit called the Winter EquestrianFestival. The WEF is considereda proving ground for the UnitedStates Equestrian Team and hostsselection trails for the OlympicGames. She returns to the festivalafter finishing second last year inthe low-adult division. This yearthe festival is off to a good start.In her first weekend at the com-petition all went well. “We justdid one class and went cleanmeaning we didn't hit any jumpsand were within the time allowedso we got a blue ribbon,” she saysof her ride with her horse Addie,a 1,200 pound hanovarian mare.“I can't wait for the rest of the sea-son.”

In addition to the competition inWellingston, FL, Lorusso will be

competing as a member of StoneHill College’s Equestrian team.She is currently a junior at theEaston, MA school and will flydown to Florida on Thursdayevenings, returning on Sundays.“It’s a real balancing game com-peting with Stonehill and compet-

ing in Wellingston. I’ll miss twoweeks [WEF] because I’ll becompeting with Stonehill.”

This year Lorusso has moved upa division and will compete in thelow adult amateur owner division.It’s just one of many steps neededto take in order to get closer to her

Olympic dream, but she says ittakes time to advance up the divi-sions. “I would really like to rep-resent the United States when I’mready,” Lorusso says. “When Istarted doing the jumpers, theOlympics became my goal.”

To get there Lorusso says it willrequire a combination of hardwork, a good horse and a goodteam supporting her. “You can bereally talented, and you can tryyour hardest, but you’re just asgood as the horse you’re sittingon and the people you surroundyourself with,” she says.

OLYMPIC DREAMScontinued from page 1

Casey Lorusso hopes one day to compete in the Olympics.

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Wrentham Elementary SchoolsTrust, Inc. (WEST) will be hostingits 4th Annual Comedy Night onSaturday, March 10th at Restau-rant 3 in Franklin. The ComedyNight is WEST’s largest fundrais-ing event, raising over $10,000 forthe organization last March. Thisyear’s feature act is Boston come-dian Dave Russo. Host of “TheWicked Comedy Tour”, Dave hasappeared on Comedy Central, TheToday Show and E! EntertainmentNetwork. He also has a live showevery Friday from 1:00 to 2:00 pmon WCAP 980 AM.

The evening will include bothlive and silent auctions. Some oflast year’s most popular auctionitems included a hockey sticksigned by the entire 2011 BostonBruins team, a pair of Club Seatsfor a Bruins vs. Blackhawks gameand a pair of tickets for the RedSox Yankees opening weekendgame.

“Last year’s event was a great

success and we look forward to an-other good year”, says WESTPresident Audra Kennedy. “Thisevent is critical in allowing WESTto fund important and innovativeprojects for the Wrentham Ele-mentary Schools - projects thathelp us bring continued excellenceto our schools. The WEST Com-edy Night allows you to have a funnight out while contributing to awonderful cause”.

The cost of $75 per person in-cludes appetizers, a buffet dinner,dessert, cash bar and the comedyshow. A table of 8 is available at adiscounted rate of $560 until Feb-ruary 27th, and $600 starting Feb-ruary 28th.

Tickets can be purchased onlinehttp://www.wrenthamwest.org orvia mail, with checks made out toWEST and mailed to WEST, P.O.Box 852, Wrentham, MA 02093.For tables of 8, please include a listof attendees for that table and sub-mit checks together, or make one

online payment of $560 until Feb-ruary 27 or $600 starting February28.

WEST provides grants to Wren-tham Elementary teachers, fundingimportant curriculum enrichmentprograms that fall outside currentschool budgets. The event will runfrom 7:00 p.m. through 11:00 p.m.and will feature food, comedy andan auction.

Wrentham Elementary SchoolsTrust, Inc. (WEST) is an inde-pendent, 501(c)(3) non-profit or-ganization responsible for raisingprivate capital to fund innovative,educational projects for the Wren-tham Elementary Schools. Allmonies are raised independentlythrough fundraising, corporatesponsors, tax-deductible donationsand matching corporate gifts. Es-tablished in 2007, WEST continu-ally accepts grants, donations andlegacies which it uses to maintaina standard of educational excel-lence in Wrentham’s Elementaryschools.

For more information on WEST,including projects that have beenfunded for the children of Wren-tham and how to donate, visitwww.wrenthamwest.org.

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The Village at River’s Edge, ac-tive adult (55+) community inNorfolk is unveiling a brand newfurnished model for 2012. Thenew ranch style ADAMS modelhas over 1,550 sq ft of living spaceall on one floor. The open floorplan features a large eat-in kitchenwith center island, an expansivedining area and fireplace familyroom along with two large 1stfloor bedrooms. With no interiorunits, all of the VARE rancheshave lots of windows and naturallight.

Sales at The Village at River’sEdge have been very strong sincedeveloper, Tom DiPlacido intro-duced four new Ranch-style planswith a truss roof design that allowsfor flexible floor plans. Because ofthis flexibly, buyers are able towork with the builder to refinefloor plans for their specific needs.This is particularly important forbuyers who may have specialneeds as in the case of handi-capped accessibility features.Marketing Director Al Rao reportsthat in spite of the soft economy,sales have been very strong with17 closed sales in 2011. In fact, the

large development project recentlysurpassed the 50% completionpoint with 74 Closed & Occupiedunits out of a total of 136! Con-struction is also underway for thenew 4,000 sq ft Meeting Housethat will be ready for use by the

residents this spring. Once theeconomy strengthens, DiPlacidoDevelopment Corp. will beginconstruction of the final piece ofthe project - a 25,000 sq ft com-mercial building and restaurantthat will offer retail shopping, din-

ing and other amenities.

The Village at River’s Edge is lo-cated on Route 115 near the Nor-folk-Millis border and is beingmarketing by Prudential Page Re-alty with offices in Medfield, Med-way and Wrentham.

The new model is staffed andopen Thursday through Sundayfrom noon to 4 pm. Please contactthe sales office at 508-528-2440with any questions and come byfor a visit.

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Both music and basketball havebeen a big part of Wrentham nativeAyla Brown’s life and now theyare brought together thanks to thefront office of the National Basket-ball Association's Philadelphia76ers. Brown is the official singerof the national anthem at all of theteam’s games throughout this sea-son. “It’s the most perfect combi-nation I could ever ask for,” Brownsays enthusiastically. “The nationalanthem means so much to me andI get to watch basketball. It’s per-fect.”

Brown’s singing abilities werebrought to the public’s attention in2005 when she was in the top 16of American Idol, but her talentsextended beyond the stage all theway to the basketball court. Shewas a star player for Nobles andGreenough High School and, afterher stint on American Idol, shewent off to play Division IWomen’s Basketball at BostonCollege for four years. Her love ofbasketball started with her fatherU.S. Senator Scott Brown who isknown as an avid fan and player.But a big contributing factor to herbasketball passion and success wasthe introduction to the game shereceived at the after school pro-gram started by retired WrenthamElementary School teacher TomStone. “My first year playing bas-ketball was with Mr. Stone in fifthgrade,” Brown says. “Besides my

father if it wasn’t for him, I wouldnever love basketball.”

For Brown, performing the na-tional anthem before a sports eventisn’t anything new. She has sung itbefore Celtics and Boston Collegegames and at different arenas allaround New England. But it wasone special performance she hadwith the Boston Pops on theFourth of July that helped land herthe gig with the 76ers. The team’snew CEO, Adam Aron, was deter-mined to improve the pre-gameexperience. The team decided tohire a single person to perform theStar Spangled Banner, much liketheir hockey counterparts the Fly-ers did decades ago by hiring KateSmith to sing before their homegames. Lauren Hart now has thehonor and the rendition is one ofsports great traditions. Aron, at-tempting to do something similar,turned to YouTube and cameacross Brown’s performance withthe Boston Pops and reached outto see if she was interested. “Thepower of the Internet,” Brown sayswith a laugh.

While Brown grew up a fan ofthe Celtics, she says the most im-portant part about the job is simplythe honor of singing the nationalanthem. “It’s really about singingour national song no matter whatthe team,” Brown says. Plus, theadded bonus is she gets to watchthe sport she grew up loving.

In addition to singing the anthem

for each game, she takes part infour half time performances andshe will also sing in eight shows inthe arena concourse during thegame. The opportunity to expandher presence at the game is some-thing the 76ers were interested indoing for her. “They wanted tohelp with my career and create afan base as someone trying to be acountry music singer,“ Brownsays. She also has an opportunityto sell her CDs and merchandiseduring each home game.

When she is not in Philadelphiaor performing around the country,home is now in Nashville. Whileher schedule is hectic, she does gettime to return to Wrentham to bewith her family. “I was home forthe holidays. It was the first time ina really long time we were all to-gether as a family,” Brown says.

Brown recently recorded andproduced a new album which isright now only available at the76ers games. Of the ten songs onthe album, she co-wrote seven andshe also started her own recordcompany. There isn’t a hard re-lease date yet, but if people wouldlike a copy now, they simply needto reach out to her on her web site(www.aylabrown.com).

As the official anthem singer forthe 76ers, other opportunities havedeveloped in the Philadelphia areato perform. Also, a few companieshave reached out to her to provideher with clothing and shoes for the

basketball games. While inNashville she is enjoying thesouthern hospitality and perform-ing as much as she can in an effortto hone her craft. But the athlete inher is still alive and well. Before afew of the games she has had anopportunity to shoot around thecourt. “I’ve hit a few NBA threepointers,” she says. “I’m gettingmy shot back.”

Brown performed in Massachu-

setts on Saturday, January 21st atthe Boston Center for Adult Edu-cation and will perform on January26th at the Kevin Youkilis’s NotYour Average Idol 2 event. Formore details on future perform-ances visit www.aylabrown.com.

(This article appeared in The Wren-

tham Times, www.wrenthamtimes.com)


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Professional dance instructorsPrestigious opportunity for serious dancersPerform in a full-scale dance production at the end of the programFully air-conditioned facilitiesAffordable - low cost with lunch included

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Sixers Tap Brown for Anthem

Ayla Brown prepares to sing the national anthem before a Phildelphia76er’s game. Photo by: Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBA Photo.


Norfolk Public Library139 Main St.

Norfolk, MA 02056508-528-3380

February 1

Baby Time, Stories, rhymes,songs, and play for babies up to 12months and their caregivers. Thisis a 7-week class that runs fromJanuary 5-February 15. Registra-tion required. 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Multi-Age Storytime, An inter-active drop-in storytime withsongs, games, and a craft. For chil-dren 2 and up with a caregiver.11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

On My Own Storytime, An inde-pendent story time experience forchildren 3 and up. Caregiversmust stay in the building, but areencouraged to let children attendthe program alone. 1:30 p.m. to 2p.m.

Junior Friends of the Library,The monthly general meeting ofthe Junior Friends of the Library.For kids in grades 4-6. 3:30 p.m.to 4:15 p.m.

Great Decisions DiscussionGroup,This world affairs discus-sion group meets on the firstWednesday of every month. 7 p.m.to 9 p.m.

February 2

Mother Goose on the Loose! Ahighly interactive program forchildren up to age 3 with a care-giver. Join us for songs, rhymes,puppets, lap bounces, and more!11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m

Young Inventors, One person’strash is another person’s treasure!Recycle old materials to create abrilliant new invention. We’ll sup-ply the materials; you supply theideas! For children in grades 3-5.Registration required. 3:30 p.m. to4:15 p.m.

February 3

Picnic Playgroup, Bring a lunchand enjoy music, stories, and fun.Funded by the Massachusetts De-partment of Early Education andCare. 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

February 6

No Girls Allowed! A book dis-cussion group just for guys ingrades 5-8. 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

February 7

Ed Morgan Sing-Along, Join EdMorgan for singing, dancing, andan all-around great time. For chil-dren of all ages with a caregiver.No registration required. 10:30a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

February 8

Baby Time, Stories, rhymes,songs, and play for babies up to 12months and their caregivers. This

is a 7-week class that runs fromJanuary 5-February 15. Registra-tion required. 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.



Cupid's Craft Convention, Stopby and make a Valentine for yourspecial sweetie! The JuniorFriends of the Library provide thematerials and will help childrenconstruct Valentine’s Day cardsand crafts. For children age 3 andup. 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

February 9

Mother Goose on the Loose! Ahighly interactive program forchildren up to age 3 with a care-giver. Join us for songs, rhymes,puppets, lap bounces, and more!11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

February 10


Saturday February 11

Cupid's Craft Convention, Stopby and make a Valentine for yourspecial sweetie! The JuniorFriends of the Library provide thematerials and will help childrenconstruct Valentine’s Day cardsand crafts. For children age 3 andup. 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

February 13

Floral Fun, Rick Tedoldi of theNorfolk Garden Club will teachyou how to make a live floralarrangement for someone youlove. Parental participation en-couraged. Registration required.$5 materials fee must be paid attime of registration. Register inperson at the Reference Desk inthe library. Fo children in gradesK-6. 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

February 14

Fun with Folktales - ValentineStories, Tales of love from aroundthe world. We will also decorateValentine’s Day cookies. For chil-dren in grades K-2. Registrationrequired. 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

February 15

Baby Time, Stories, rhymes,songs, and play for babies up to 12months and their caregivers. Thisis a 7-week class that runs fromJanuary 5-February 15. Registra-

tion required. 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m



Junior Friends of the Library,The monthly general meeting ofthe Junior Friends of the Library.For kids in grades 4-6. 3:30 p.m.to 4:15 p.m.

February 16

Mother Goose on the Loose! Ahighly interactive program forchildren up to age 3 with a care-giver. Join us for songs, rhymes,puppets, lap bounces, and more!11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

February 17


February 20

Library Closed for PresidentsDay

February 22

Reading Giraffes Book Discus-sion, A monthly book discussionfor the Teen Friends of the Library(aka the Reading Giraffes). Bookscan be picked up at the library'scirculation desk about 3 weeks inadvance. 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

MS Support Group, 7 p.m. to8:30 p.m.

February 26

Preschool Play and Learn, Aplaygroup for preschoolers age 21/2 - 5 and their caregivers. Activ-ities may include tactile play,movement, stories, and crafts.Sponsored by Community Part-nerships for Children. All childrenmust be accompanied by a care-giver. Registration required. 10:30a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Tuesday Afternoon Book Dis-cussion Group, Monthly meetingof Norfolk Public Library bookdiscussion group. New membersare always welcome. 1:30 p.m. to2:30 p.m.

February 29


On My Own Storytime, An inde-pendent story time experience for

children 3 and up. Caregiversmust stay in the building, but areencouraged to let children attendthe program alone. 1:30 p.m. to 2p.m.

Fiske Public Library110 Randall Rd.

Wrentham, MA 02093508-384-5440

February 1

Mom's Club, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m

February 2

Yoga with Chris Primavera, 5thclass of the first WINTER ses-sion.Sign up and prepayment of$65.00 is required. This sessionends on Feb. 9. A new session willbe announced. 9:30 a.m. to 10: 45a.m.

February 3

Baby/Toddler Playgroups, Twoprograms – Birth to pre-walkerswith Mom, Dad or caregiver meeton Fridays at 9:30. Toddlers (walk-ers) to ages 2 ½ with Mom, Dad orcaregiver meet on Fridays at 10:30.Meet new friends, play with thetoys and gym equipment pur-chased with funds from theFriends of Fiske!!! Come join thefun! No registration required justdrop in. If arriving before 10 a.m.please ring doorbell. 9:30 a.m. to12 p.m.

February 4

Lego Club, The sessions are heldin the Sweatt Meeting Room. Reg-istration is not required, just dropin and join the fun!!!! (Lego dona-tions always appreciated!) 2:30p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

February 9

Yoga with Chris Primavera, 5thclass of the first WINTER ses-sion.Sign up and prepayment of$65.00 is required. Last class ofthis session. A new session will beannounced. 9:30 a.m. to 10: 45a.m.

February 10


February 11

Lego Club, The sessions are heldin the Sweatt Meeting Room. Reg-istration is not required, just dropin and join the fun! (Lego dona-

tions always appreciated!) 2:30p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

February 16

Learning Through Play, Thismonthly program is being offeredby Self Help, Inc., CommunityPartnerships for Children. Learn-ing through Play is a FREE play-group for preschool children andtheir families. Come join us forfingerplays, books and a craft aswe Learn Through Play. Canned-good donations will be gratefullyaccepted for the Wrentham FoodPantry. Sign-up at the CirculationDesk. 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

February 17


February 18


February 21, 2012

Go To Top

February 23

Evening Book Group, Bookswill be available at the circulationdesk. FACILITATOR: Jan Bat-tikha, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

February 24


February 25


February 29

Foreign Film, 7 p.m.

Norfolk & Wrentham Library Calendars


Winter dances

Winter weather Winter break

Come to switcheverything you need for all

your winter activities !!

80 Franklin Village Drive Franklin 508-553-3974 www.shop-switch.com

M-Th 10-6, Fri-Sat 10-7, Sun 12-5

After 36 years of service, DeputyChief Steve Wood retired at theend of 2011 leaving a hole in theNorfolk Fire Department thatwon’t be filled. Wood was a callmember and served as an opera-tional officer at emergency scenes.He also served with full authorityof the Fire Chief in his absence.Wood was very active in hiringand firefighting training. “He takesa great deal of stress away from anincident commander knowing that

you have someone as competenthandling the operation in terms ofsafety of crews inside of buildingsand in terms of accountable,” saysColeman Bushnell, Norfolk FireChief. “His abilities as a profes-sional and dedicated firefighter areexceptional. He usually is the firston the scene and last to leave.”

Described as quiet and proud ofNorfolk, Wood provided the de-partment with a reliable problemsolver. “If you have any problem,

even if it wasn’t fire related, youcould go to him,” says LieutenantMike Findlen. “He is the back-bone behind us.”

Bushnell says Wood won’t be re-placed and that the current staffwill have to fill the void left byWood’s retirement. “He’s one ofthose rare people,” Bushnell says.“We wouldn’t be able to replacehim.”

Deputy Chief Steve Wood retires after 36 years of service to Norfolk.

Deputy Chief Wood Retires Franklin PerformingArts Company presentsA Culinary Cabaret toSupport Electric YouthA Presentation of the Culinary andPerforming Arts

The Franklin Performing ArtsCompany will present a CulinaryCabaret, an evening of fabulousfood, wine and entertainment, onFriday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m. atClarke, The Ultimate Kitchen Re-source Center in Milford. The culi-nary and performing arts will uniteto create a feast for the senses.Culinary Cabaret will offerdemonstrations by some of thearea’s best chefs, restaurants andcaterers and exceptional entertain-ment by Electric Youth and specialguest artists from the Franklin Per-forming Arts Company. A Culi-nary Cabaret will support ElectricYouth, Franklin’s internationaltouring ensemble and their 2012European tour.

Culinary Cabaret partners in-clude media sponsor NortheastFLAVOR Magazine, Davio’sNorthern Italian Steakhouse,Tavolino, Artistry Boston Cateringand Events, Whole Foods andClarke, The Ultimate Kitchen Re-source Center.

This event will take place in thebeautiful Clarke showroom known

to be the nation’s most exemplarydistributor with two award-win-ning showrooms (known as the re-gion’s ultimate kitchen resourcecenters), a Culinary Center teach-ing cooking to homeownersthroughout New England, a na-tionally known appliance servicecompany and a network of stellarindependent retail dealers. Clarkenow represents high-performancebrands including: Sub-Zero, Wolf,Asko, Best, KWC, Dawn andScotsman.

Electric Youth members serve asambassadors of America’s youthwhile presenting concerts domes-tically and abroad. On a 15-con-cert tour in Europe, EY shows will

include a return performance toentertain the U.S. Troops and fam-ilies stationed abroad. EY lasttoured Europe in 2010 when theyperformed 15 shows in Austria andItaly and headlined the Fourth ofJuly celebration for the U.S.Troops and their families stationedat Aviano Air Force Base.

To purchase tickets for CulinaryCabaret, contact the Franklin Per-forming Arts Company at (508)528-8668.

Norfolk Council onAging

Senior Center28 Medway Branch

CenterNorfolk, MA508-528-4430

senator ross office hours

Senator Richard Ross is pleased toonce again hold an informationalseminar for the Senior CircuitBreaker Tax Credit on February7th at 1 p.m. The Senior CircuitBreaker is a tax credit for persons65 years of age or older.

Whisty Party Friday, February 17th at 12:30.There is a fee of $2.00, which willbe used for prizes. Chances to winan optional door prize are 50 centseach or 3 for $1. Every game con-sists of four hands and each playerdeals a hand. A set of rules will beavailable. Refreshments will beserved. Please call if you plan onattending

bingo — Mondays at 1 p.m.Donation is 60 cents per card.

bridge — Tuesdays at 10 a.m.and Thursdays at 1 p.m. JohnByrne will give lessons on “introto bridge”. Call the Senior centerfor more information.

computer tutorial — A 4week course starts the first ofevery month on Fridays from 9-10a.m. All other computer questionswill be answered after class from10 -11 a.m.

cribbage— Wednesdays and/orThursdays from 9:30 a.m. - 12noon. Norfolk’s cribbage tourna-ment started January 26th and goesuntil March 1st .

cybex exercise cycles —These are set up in the LowerLevel and can be used anytime. Itwill take just a minute of your timeto be trained on safety and properuse of the cycles and to sign awaiver.

game day— Wednesday after-noons at 1:00 p.m. Every day isgame day at the Senior Center. Ifa game you want to play is not out,just ask.

hair cuts — Thursday, March1st at 9 a.m. Call for an appoint-ment. Price: $10.

Knitting club — Fridays at 10a.m. Our new project is lap robesfor a retirement home for nuns.

Our chemo hats are in great de-mand, especially with the coldweather. When Tina delivers thehats they are gone in a few hours.The “Knitwits” are a lively group,join us any Friday morning at 10a.m.

library — Read at home pro-gram continues with the coopera-tion of the Norfolk Library and theCouncil on Aging. If you arehomebound, books will be deliv-ered to your home. Call and askfor an application if you are inter-ested in this program.

manicure — Thursday, Febru-ary 9th and 23rd. The price for abasic manicure is $6.00. A pricelist is posted at the Senior Centerfor deluxe manicure, pedicures andmore. Call for an appointment.

massage — Michelle Cody,Certified Massage Therapist, willbe at the Senior Center Tuesday,February 21st and 28th from 10a.m. to 1 p.m. A 15 minute mas-sage is $10 and 30 minutes is $20.These are special rates for ages 65and over. Sign up is a must, ashealth information must be filledout beforehand.

movie — Friday, February 3rdat 1 p.m. The movie is “The Tal-ented Mr. Ripley” starring , MattDamon, Gwyneth Paltrow andJude Law. Root Beer floats will beserved.

scrabble— Thursdays from 10a.m. -12 noon. Join in on the goodtime and friendship.

strength video — Monday,Tuesday and Friday from 9-10a.m. “Easy Does It” video is ex-actly as it describes itself and is theperfect starting point for the personwho is older or is post illness, in-jury, or surgery.

swimming — Tuesdays, 9-11a.m. and 1:30 -2:30 p.m., Wednes-days from 2-3 p.m. and Fridays,9:30-11a.m. at the Wrentham De-velopmental Center. Call first at508 384-3114 x2592

tai-chi-yang style — Tues-days at 1 p.m. Paula Sullivan in-structs students who are advanced,beginners, and those who preferchairs. Paula is a certified Tai-Chi,Yoga instructor and Reiki Practi-tioner. The cost of the class is$2.00.

Texas Hold’em Poker — EveryMonday from 1 to 4 p.m.

Walk club — Wednesdays at9:30 a.m. Betty Ray is our certifiedinstructor. Weather permitting.

Water color class — Thurs-days at 10 a.m. Teacher Tina Ad-dison will be at the Senior Center.Participants must have their ownsupplies. Those would include: ablock of watercolor paper, paints,and brushes. Bring something forthe food pantry as a fee for theclass.

yoga— Mondays at 11:30 a.m.At every age, YOGA can providehealth benefits and some believereverse the aging process. There isa fee of $2 per class.

Wrentham SeniorCenter

400 Taunton St.508-384-5425

Fuel Assistance – Fuel Assis-tance applications are now avail-able. For more information and tomake an appointment call FranPadula at 508-384-5425.

Reassurance Program – Wouldyou like to receive a friendly tele-phone call every morning? Mon-day – Sunday around 9:00am?Please call the center and speak

with Fran Padula

Food assistance benefits – Toobtain information about SNAP(food stamps) benefits and an ap-plication, call the Department ofTransitional Assistance SNAPBenefits Hotline, 1-800-645-8333.A counselor will help you fill outthe application, and will stay intouch with you to ensure you re-ceive any benefits to which youmay be entitled. If you have anyquestions or would like an appli-cation, call Outreach Worker FranPadula at 508-384-5425for moreinformation.

card making at A.C. Moorein Bellingham. On Monday, Jan-uary 30 at 10:00 a.m., the van willtake us to A.C. Moore to makecards. Space is limited to 11, andyou must sign up for this specialcraft at the front desk. All materi-als and supplies will be providedfor you. If you would like to in-clude anything personal in the card(a picture, etc.), please bring it withyou on the day of the trip

the circuit breaker tax

credit. Wednesday, February 1 at12:30 p.m. State Senator RichardRoss and Brian Lynch, from theMA Department of Revenue, willbe at the Senior Center to talkabout the Circuit Breaker TaxCredit. The Circuit Breaker is aproperty tax credit that was de-

signed by the Legislature with thehope of alleviating some of theburdens property taxes can cre-ate. It’s called the Circuit BreakerTax Credit, because it is “trig-gered,” like an electrical circuitbreaker when property paymentsexceed 10% of a senior citizen’sannual income. Senator Ross andMr. Lynch will discuss how to de-termine if you are eligible for thistax credit and how to claim it ifyou are determined eligible. Thetax credit can be claimed up tothree years previous to this taxyear.

Weekly Events:aerobic exercise class – Mon-day at 9:30, Wednesday at 10:00Cost $2.00 YMCA Instructor

sit & stretch class – Mondayand Wednesday at 11:00. Cost is$2. Video shown on Friday at11:00 is free.

cribbage – Tuesday at 9:00 am $1

grocery shopping – Friday at10:15. Call center to sign up.

ceramics – Every Thursday from1:00 – 3:00 pm. Cost $3

line dancing – Tuesday from1:00 – 2:30. Cost $3

Painting class – Tuesdayfrom 9:30 – 11:30. Cost $3

continued on page 13


Living Healthy

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Some facts about us:• The only fully certified and accredited (state, federal and medicare) ophthalmology facility in the area.• All out nursing, anesthesia, and O.R. staff are eye specialists - hand-picked and specially trained.• Over 12,000 cataract surgeries to date and growing.• Nearly all insurance plans are accepted and our fees are lower than a hospital's fees.

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When a weather emergency oc-curs, the effects can prove devas-tating. Natural disasters likehurricanes have turned cities up-side down, floods have caused thedeaths of thousands and snow-storms have shut communitiesdown for days.

A weather emergency, be it a nat-ural disaster or a heavy storm, cancontaminate the local supply ofdrinking water and disrupt thewastewater disposal system. Ac-cording to the Environmental Pro-tection Agency, such a disruptionor contamination can directlythreaten a person's health. As a re-sult, it's important for men andwomen to know how to disinfecttheir drinking water should anemergency occur and the supplybe at risk.

The easiest way to avoid healthissues that arise from a contami-nated water supply is to keepplenty of bottled water on handand use as drinking water andwhen cooking. So long as the bot-tled water has not been exposed toflood waters, it will be safe todrink.

If an emergency strikes and youdon't have any bottled water athome, don't panic. Boiling water

can help make the water safe,killing most types of disease-caus-ing organisms that might be pres-ent. Boil water for one minutebefore allowing it cool and thenstore in containers for later use.

In an emergency situation, thewater could very well be cloudy.This is also not a cause for panic.Instead, filter the water throughclean cloths or just allow it to set-tle. When allowed to settle,chances are the cloudy water willclear up within minutes. Once itdoes, use the clear water whenboiling.

If there's no means to boiling thewater, you can use householdbleach as a disinfectant. Bleach iseffective at killing some, but notall, disease-causing organisms thatmight be in the water. If the wateris cloudy, filter it through cleancloths or allow it to settle before at-tempting to disinfect it. Once thewater is clear, use this clear waterfor disinfection. When ready todisinfect the water, the EPA rec-ommends adding 1/8 teaspoon (orroughly eight drops) of regular, un-scented liquid household bleachfor each gallon of water. Do notuse non-chlorine bleach to disin-fect water. Once added, stir thebleach and water mixture well,

then let it stand for 30 minutes be-fore use. Once disinfected, storethe water in clean containers withcovers.

The treated water should have aslight odor of chlorine. If it doesnot, repeat the process and allowthe water to stand for an additional15 minutes. After this step, if thetreated water exhibits a strong odorof chlorine or tastes strongly ofchlorine, allow the water to standexposed to the air for a few hoursor pour the water from one cleancontainer to another several times.

For those who rely on well water,in the case of a flood have thewater tested and disinfected oncethe flood waters have receded.

Should a weather emergencyoccur and the water supply be dis-rupted or contaminated, heed theadvice of local health departmentsor public water systems. More in-formation about disinfecting waterand surviving a weather emer-gency is available at www.epa.gov.


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Speech-Language & HearingAssociates of Greater Boston

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Visit our website: www.speechlanguageandhearingassociates.com

Two Convenient Locations

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15 Franklin St.Wrentham, MA 02093

(774) 847-9265

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How To Disinfect Water In The Case of An Emergency

A disruption or contamination ofthe water supply can threaten aperson's health.


Milford-Franklin Eye Centerprovides comprehensive and ex-cellent eye care for the entire fam-ily. With offices located in Milfordand Franklin and a support staff of14, this practice is a leading med-ical and surgical eye care center inthe area. Two experienced eyephysicians, Dr. John Hatch and Dr.Roger Kaldawy, and a third guestOphthalmologist provide a rangeof services, from basic eye exams,fitting contacts and glasses, to spe-cial treatments and surgery formore complicated problems, likelaser vision correction and corneatransplantations.

"We pride ourselves on givingstate-of-the-art care, one patient ata time," said Dr. Kaldawy. Dr.Hatch is the only fellowshiptrained pediatric Ophthalmologistin the area, and is a skilled cataractsurgeon with training in the latesttechniques for straightening mis-aligned eyes. Dr. Kaldawy was thefirst full-time corneal disease spe-cialist in the area. He started thecorneal transplantation service atMilford Regional Medical Center.He has performed thousands ofprocedures including laser visioncorrection and advanced accom-modating cataract implants whichallow patients clear vision for dis-tance, near, and everything in be-tween with a minimum need forglasses.

When it comes to cataract sur-gery, Dr. Kaldawy, states it’s im-portant for patients to educatethemselves and maintains the de-

cision to have the surgery shouldonly be made by the patient basedon specific symptoms, includingnight vision problems or the in-ability to see well during every dayactivities.

Choosing the right Ophthalmol-ogist for cataract surgery is alsoimportant. According to Dr.Kaldawy, ask a prospective sur-geon about his or her complicationrate, and more specifically aboutthe percentage of capsular rupture,a complication of cataract surgerythat occurs during the procedureand can lead to devastating prob-lems. Any percentage of rupturehigher than five percent is over thenational average.

“I am blessed with a rupture rateof zero percent when my caseswere reviewed for the last threeyears by the Director of SurgicalNursing, an independent source atMilford Hospital,” said Kaldawy.Choosing a location is also critical.Dr. Kaldawy performs his surger-ies at Milford Hospital, recentlynamed one of the best hospitals inthe region.

For more information or to makean appointment at Milford-Frank-lin Eye Center, call 508-473-7939in Milford, or 508-528-3344 inFranklin. Offices are located at258 Main St., Milford, and 391East Central St., Franklin. Satur-day and after hours appointmentsare available.

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continued from page 11

errands – First Tuesday of eachmonth.

target – Second and fourth Tues-day at 10:30 am, Van driver willpick you up at your home for onehour of shopping.

evening exercise class – Tues-day at 6pm and Thursday at5:45pm. 45 minute high impactaerobics class, zoomba-like exer-cise, strength training, ab floorwork and yoga stretching. Cost is$2, payable at the class. Pleasebring a floor mat and weights. (wecan provide some weights).

blood Pressure clinic – ThirdWednesday of each month

chair massage – Second Fridayof each month. Call for appoint-

ment.

Financial advisor – SecondMonday of each month. Call forappointment.

Wrentham’s veterans agent

– Ken Oles, will be atthe senior center on Monday’sfrom 1pm to 3:00pm and Tues-day’s at 5:00pm to 8:00. Call thecenter if you would like to meetwith Ken.

shine – Our SHINE Counselorwill be at the Center on Fridaysfrom 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.Please call if you would like tomake an appointment to meet withher. If you need assistance otherthan the times she is here, pleasecall the HESSCO SHINE officeat 1-800-462-5221

Knitting & crocheting – OnWednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Join usas we get together to knit/crochetscarves, hats and mittens for theschool children and afghans forthe Pine St. Inn.

Monthly Eventsoffice hours with state sena-

tor Richard Ross, or his represen-tative, will be at the senior centeron the first Tuesday of each monthat 12 noon for a private discussion.No appointment necessary.

TripsFoxwoods - Once a month. CallCenter for date at 508-384-5425.Wrentham Seniors $13, Non-Wrentham Seniors $23.

A list of all our trips is posted atthe Wrentham Senior Center, oron cable Channel 22.

Living Healthy

On Saturday, February 18, 2012Team Fitness Franklin and Cross-Fit Franklin will be hosting a threehour Best Buddies Spin-A-Thonin support of the 2012 Best Bud-dies Challenge.

For the last four years, Team Fit-ness Franklin, has hosted the BestBuddies Spin-A-Thon, raisingover $17,000 in 2011. Thanks toFront Lines Fitness in Warwick,RI, Team Fitness has 72 spin bikesavailable for riders, and with 50filled already, space is filling upquickly. Whole Foods and Stop &Shop will be providing food andwater for the participants for thethree-hour fundraiser. The event

will be held in CrossFit Franklin,a new, 5,000 square foot facility.Raffle tickets are available for pur-chase at Team Fitness Franklin, allproceeds go to Best Buddies.Prizes include gift baskets and giftcards to spas, restaurants, BestBuddies gear, CrossFit class pack-ages, Team Fitness personal train-ing packages, etc.

The mission of Best Buddies isto establish a global volunteermovement that creates opportuni-ties for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and lead-ership development for peoplewith intellectual and developmen-tal abilities. The goal of the BestBuddies Challenge is to raisefunds in support of this organiza-tion.

If you are interested in part-icipating or donating to Best Buddies or for more informa-tion, please contact ChristineAvedesian at: [email protected].

Team Fitness Franklin is locatedin the Stop & Shop Plaza at 100Franklin Village Drive. 508-541-8330

Team Fitness Franklinto Host Best BuddiesSpin-a-thon


Winter brings with it manythings, including snowy days,chilly nights and the propensity forirritating beauty issues. Cold dryair outside and warm dry air insidecan result in moisture loss fromboth the hair and skin. Not onlycan this be uncomfortable, but itcan be unsightly as well. There arealso other beauty issues that comeup, like which products to use thistime of year.

The primary beauty concern formost each winter is dryness. Win-ter is the season for dry skin andchapped lips because lower tem-peratures and lower humidity re-sult in drier air, both indoors andoutside. Forced-air heating sourcesalso contribute to the problem, es-pecially if they are not equippedwith some sort of humidity addingdevice. Dry skin becomes itchyand turns into a nuisance.

Dry air can also contribute to dry

hair. Dry hair tends to be flyawayand prone to static. Your entirebody actually may be susceptibleto static-related shocks as you tra-verse carpeting or pull on chargedclothing. The low humidity adds tothe separation of electrons and pro-tons in the materials surrounding aperson, which contributes to extrastatic electricity. The imbalance ofthese microscopic particles be-comes evident when you touchsomething metal and a shock oc-curs.

Revamping a health and beautyregimen for winter comfort takesjust a little effort. Here are 11 tipsthat will benefit you and your ap-pearance all season long.

1. Adding moisture to your envi-ronment is one of the single bestways to combat winter skin andhair issues. This means purchasinga humidifier that will put moistureto the air. Even boiling some water

on the stove and allowing thesteam to seep into the air can alle-viate a dry home.

2. Dry skin can feel tight anditchy. It may or may not flake offas well. Dry skin that is consis-tently scratched could become ir-ritated or even infected if bacteriagets into the skin. Moisturizers ap-plied all over the body can help theskin retain moisture and alleviatethe itchiness. Creams with men-thol could provide a cooling effectthat also tames itchiness. Butwatch out for products that alsocontain alcohol. The alcohol mightseem cooling at first, but the alco-hol could eventually dry out theskin when it evaporates.

3. Experiment with your home'sthermostat to find an indoor tem-perature that is more comfortablefor your dry skin conditions.

4. Very hot showers may chaseaway the chill from outdoors, but

they can strip the skin and hair ofmoisture as well. Try showering inlukewarm water instead, andslather on a moisturizing body lo-tion right afterward.

5. Relying on an electric hairdryer to dry your hair after wash-ing can compound dry, frizzy orunruly hair. It may be unwise tostep outdoors on a cold day withwet hair, so leave ample time inyour schedule to shower and allowhair to air dry whenever possible.

6. Licking dry lips just exacer-bates the situation. Instead, use amoisturizing lip balm sparingly.Even rubbing a little olive oil overthe lips can help moisturize andprevent cracking.

7. Choose nonfoaming cleansersfor the face and body when wash-ing up. This way the soapy layerdoesn't strip away essential mois-ture from the lipid barrier of theskin.

8. Be sure to continue to apply anSPFproduct every day beforeheading outdoors. Ultraviolet raysare still present during the winter,albeit in less concentration.

9. Avoid frosty eye shadows inthe winter because they tend tomake most people look washedout, especially when the glow ofsummer skin has waned. Similarly,avoid overdoing bronzer duringthe winter months, which canseem out of place and make theskin look artificially orange.

10. Revamp hair color to bringout golden hues during the wintermonths and keep you looking vi-vacious. Avoid highlights that arewhite or ashy. Don't go for morethan two shades lighter or darkerin any direction for a whole-headcoloring.

11. Hat head is almost as dreadedas a bad hair day brought on by drywinter air. Hat head occurs whendamp hair has been allowed to dryunder a hat, which then causes flat-tening and denting. Allow hair todry completely before donning ahat. And consider parting your hairthe opposite way before putting onthe hat, so it will have volumewhen the hat is removed and hairfalls naturally back in place.

11 Tips For Winter Beauty Therapy

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BY PATRICK COLEMAN

The Wrentham Board of Select-men is mulling over the idea ofpursuing the creation of a charterto govern the town. Currently, theTown of Wrentham runs on townbylaws and state laws and uses atraditional town meeting form ofgovernment. There isn’t just onesingle document that lays out howthe town is to govern. “The towndoes not have a charter,” explainsSelectman Michael Carroll.“We’re going by the statuettes andthe bylaws.The bylaws were fineyears ago when town governmentwas a lot simpler. It’s much morecomplex today.”

The town would need to takeone of two paths to develop acharter, both requiring approval attown meeting and with final ap-proval for the charter going to thevoters at the ballot box. The towncould establish a charter commis-sion which would consist ofelected officials that serve for 18months and delivers a writtencharter. The other path is a SpecialAct, which requires town meetingvoters to give authority to requestthe state legislature to enact legis-lation that would become thetown’s charter. “It’s a time con-suming process,” says WilliamKetcham, Wrentham’s Town Ad-ministrator. “What I’ve said to theselectmen, which route you takereally depends on whether it’s be-lieved there is a clear idea what thetown wants or there is a desire toinvestigate a number of options.”

Ketcham says that towns thattypically go the charter commis-sion route feel there is a need tochange things but there is no con-sensus on exactly what thosechanges would look like, while aspecial act is faster and is a goodapproach when there is a clear in-dication on what the voters intown want done.

Selectman Bob Leclair feels thetown needs to change how it’sgoverned. He gives the examplethat all the big decisions for Wren-tham are made at town meeting,but attendance is usually low.“The present form of governmentthat we have, the town meeting,and selectmen type of governmentis obsolete and dysfunctional andit has been for many years,” hesays. “Something needs to bedone.”

Carroll believes it’s importantthat the town work in developinga charter. He believes the overallstructure of the town is sound.“Wrentham does not have any re-ally significant structural prob-lems that would require areorganization of the town,” hesays. “We have the normal prob-lems, but our structure of the gov-ernment is not that bad. What acharter would do is allow thetown’s people to refine the waywe’re able to do things for what’sbest for Wrentham.”

The Board of Selectmen havenot formally voted on any motionsregarding the issue of developinga charter. Ultimately, any changewill be decided by the voters atTown Meeting and then at a gen-eral election. There is a strong de-sire by the members of the boardto keep the process as open to thepublic. “We want to make it astransparent and democratic aspossible,” explains Carroll.

There are tentative plans to con-tinue the topic at Board of Select-men meetings in February. “I amnot necessarily convinced that wehave to change the charter,” saysSelectman Steve Langley. “I thinkthat the charter issue is very muchon the mind of the members of the[board] and folks should see somemovement soon.”

(This article appeared in The Wrentham

Times, www.wrenthamtimes.com)

Charter ChatterBY DAVE PASQUANTONIO

They go by many names -- land-beaver, whistle-pig, wood-chuck. They are part of anancient prediction mythol-ogy, but have no special in-sight into the end of winter.They have many enemies,but are thriving. They havevery cute babies who canruin your summer.

They are groundhogs.And if you have a garden,or live anywhere in subur-bia, you’ve probably seenthem, chased them, swornat them, or tripped in one oftheir holes.

Groundhogs are vora-cious eaters. They likegreen plants – grasses,shrubs, many flowers, and mostgarden vegetables. They will stripthe bark off the base of a youngfruit tree, because their incisors, thelong teeth in front, never stopgrowing, and they have to wearthem down.

Many groundhogs are still hiber-nating on Groundhog Day, Febru-ary 2, and won’t wake up foranother month. But according tomyth, on that day the groundhogpops out of its burrow for the firsttime since hibernating. If he seeshis shadow, he gets scared, runsback into his burrow, and won’tcome out for another six weeks,until wintry weather ends. If it’sovercast, he will stay out of hisburrow – the cloudy weather sig-nifies that the weather is changingfor the warmer.

The basis for this myth is cloudyas well. Some say that thousandsof years ago the Romans, or maybethe Greeks, observed hedgehogbehavior to determine when springwould arrive. There’s a Germanictradition that if the sun comes out

on Candlemas – 40 days afterChristmas, which is February 2 –a hedgehog or badger would see its

shadow and return into its hole.When German immigrants settledin the United States, they substi-tuted the more available ground-hog.

The most famous weather-pre-dicting groundhog is Punx-sutawney Phil in Pennsylvania, butAlberta has Balzac Billy, Georgiahas General Beauregard Lee, andStaten Island has Chuck, and theremany more. The National ClimaticData Center puts groundhog pre-diction success at about 40 percent,although prediction proponents saythat the groundhogs are accurateabout three-quarters of the time.

You can make your own predic-tions even if you don’t have yourown groundhog – take note of theweather on February 2 at about7:30 a.m. If it’s sunny, prepare formore winter; if it’s cloudy, rejoicein the end of winter.

Once spring arrives, all thegroundhogs, famous or not, wakefrom their hibernation, which theybegan back in late fall. And they’rehungry, and ready to make more

groundhogs. A male and femaleshare a burrow until the babies areborn in the spring, and then the

male leaves for good. Thelittle groundhogs areweaned after about sixweeks, and then they canleave the burrow withtheir mom. They’ll eat upto a third of their bodyweight each day as fall ap-proaches and they preparefor hibernation.

Getting rid of a ground-hog is not an easy task.They do have predators –coyotes, big hawks, bears,wolves, foxes – but agroundhog entrenched ina burrow in a fenced-inbackyard is pretty safefrom everyone except

angry gardeners. You can try tocover the hole in late fall to dis-courage them, but after that youhave to wait until any babies haveleft their burrow for good nextsummer.

Scent-based repellants like moth-balls may work, but the ground-hogs may just dig another hole.They are timid creatures; smallpinwheels placed near the burrowsmay persuade them to move, asthey don’t like the motion. It is il-legal in Massachusetts to relocateany living wild creature, so livetrapping isn’t an option. You mayhave to suffer through chompedflowers, cucumbers, and carrottops until the groundhog getsbored with your garden and wan-ders away in search of somethingtastier.

So that’s the groundhog. Theydon’t really know when winter willend, but each year we hope thatthey don’t see their shadow so thatwe can get on with our spring ac-tivities. Like planting a garden forthem to eat.

Ain’t Nothin’ but a Groundhog

Legend says that winter will continue for another sixweeks if the groundhog sees his shadow, but chancesare that the little guy will still be hibernating for an-other month.

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Registration for Norfolk LionsYouth Soccer Spring 2012 NowBeing Accepted - Registration Is

ON-LINE OnlyAll games are played in Norfolkon Sunday afternoons. NLYS isopen to boys and girls age 3 (bySeptember 1, 2011) thru grade 12.You do not have to live in Norfolkto join in on the fun!

During our spring season, wewill be placing U9 (grade 2 & 3)players onto ALL Girl and ALLBoy teams.

Visit the website www.norfolk-lionssoccer.com to register.

Registration DEADLINE is Feb-ruary 1, 2011 – (after February 1st,players will be added to a Wait Listand will only be placed onto ateam, with a $50 Late Fee, shoulda space on a team become avail-able) -

Avoid disappointment and Reg-ister Early!

Financial Assistance is available- for more information contactCraig Koch at 508-520-0163


Wrentham Dog License Applica-tions AvailableWrentham dog owners may nowobtain dog licenses at the TownClerk's office. The dog license ap-plications will also be includedwith the census forms which willbe mailed soon. All dogs need tobe up to date with their rabiesshots and, if applying by mail, aself addressed stamped envelopeneeds to be included.

Also, the Wrentham TownClerk's office will no longer sellfishing/sporting licenses. Informa-tion and licenses may be obtainedonline by visiting www.mass.gov/massfishhunt.

Norfolk Dog Licenses are nowavailable on line.

For the first time you can applyfor your dog license on line usingthe Norfolk town’s websitewww.virtualnorfolk.org and goingto the Town Clerk’s page. “I real-ize that it is often difficult for peo-ple to get into Town Hall to licensetheir dog so I wanted to make it aseasy as possible for our residents,”said Shawn Dooley, Norfolk’sTown Clerk.

The licenses are $15 per dog andare discounted down to $10 fordogs that are spayed or neutered.If done online there is a $1.50charge to cover the postage. Alldogs must have a current rabiesvaccine in order to be registered.

This year’s license is a GreenShamrock which was voted on bythe Freeman Centennial 6th gradeclass. Mr. Dooley taught a cam-paign and elections class at theschool. As part of the project thestudents ran a campaign for the2012 license. “It was a lot of fununtil I realized that they were run-

ning a “write in campaign” for ashape which our vendor didn’tcarry,” said Dooley. “But it allworked out in the end as we founda new vendor that carried theshamrock and it even saved thetown $50 in expenses.”

Dooley is planning on this beingan annual program with theschools.

In addition, Dog License #1 isbeing raffled off to support Nor-folk animals in need. Anyonewishing to be entered into thisdrawing should also send in a sep-arate check for $10 made payableto Town of Norfolk Animal GiftAccount. If you already purchaseda license you arestill eligible toparticipate in this drawing and ifyou win your license can be ex-changed for #1.

The Norfolk Town Clerk’s hoursare Monday 9a.m.-8p.m., Tuesday– Thursday 9a.m. – 6p.m. and Fri-days by appointment.

Absentee Ballotsare Now AvailableAbsentee ballots are now avail-able at both the Norfolk andWrentham Town Clerk's office forthe March 6, 2012 Presidentialprimary election. If a voter is outof town or unable to come to thepolls on election day to vote be-cause of health reasons, an appli-cation should be sent to theirtown's Town Clerk Office. Ques-tions or to inquire as to the voter'sstatus should also be directed tothe appropriate Clerk's Office.Norfolk's Town Clerk can bereached at One Liberty Lane, Nor-folk, MA 02056, 508-528-1400.The Wrentham Town Clerk's Of-fice is located at 79 South St.,Wrentham 02093, 508-384-5415

It’s time to run and get a new dog license for the coming year.

The Original CongregationalChurch in the center of Wrentham(at the intersection of Routes 140and 1A) will hold a book sale onSaturday, February 11, 9 a.m to 1p.m., in the church vestry (belowthe sanctuary). We will have

books we weren’t able to displayat our church fair last fall, and wehave added more since then. Peo-ple have told us this is the bestchurch book sale in the area. Re-freshments will be available, in-cluding coffee, cider, cake, and

cookies. We are still accepting do-nated books for this sale.

To donate books, contact KenGraves at 508-384-8084, or con-tact the church office at 508-384-3110. We will pick up your booksif needed.

Congregational Church to HoldBook Sale February 11th

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Valentine's Day is a holiday dur-ing February that commemorateslove and romance and also the pa-tron Saint Valentine. The history ofSt. Valentine is shrouded some-what in mystery, and there are be-liefs that many different peoplewent by the name St. Valentine.One such individual was a holypriest who served in Rome, Italy.Some historians surmise that hewas jailed for defiance during thereign of Claudius II, sentenced todeath, and became a religious mar-tyr. Pope Gelasius marked Febru-ary14 as a celebration in honor ofhis martyrdom in 496 AD. Today,the Catholic church recognizes atleast three different martyred saintsnamed Valentine or Valentius.

So how did St. Valentine's Daytransform from a religious holidayinto one far more secular? Duringthe third century in Rome,Claudius II decided that singlemen served better as soldiers ifthey were single and had no at-tachments at home in the way of awife and family. Thusly, he out-lawed marriage. St. Valentine did-n't agree with the views andreportedly performed marriagesfor young lovers in secret. It is thiswhich may have propelled Valen-tine's Day to be more about lovethan religious obligation.

Another legend says that Valen-tine himself authored the firstValentine card. It has been ru-mored he fell in love with awoman -- the jailer's daughter --

while in prison and sent her a letter.He signed it, "from your Valen-tine."

No matter the origins of the hol-iday, today St. Valentine's Day hasbecome a day where love is cele-brated. Lovers send each othercards and tokens of their affec-tions. It is customary to go out fordinner and send flowers. Choco-lates and roses seem to go hand-in-hand with Valentine's Day events.

Although certain customs have

become commonplace, some cus-toms of Valentine's Day have fallenby the wayside. One such customis the "drawing of names" that tookplace in the 18th century. Namesof men and women (equal num-bers of each) were placed into twodifferent containers. A lottery ofsorts took place where one man'sname was drawn and matchedwith a woman's name. The peoplecalled were called "Valentines,"and the pairing was considered agood omen of these couples mar-

rying later on.

Another lost custom was of aman wearing a paper heart with theperson he loved's name written onit. The heart was pinned to hissleeve, which gave way to the ex-pression, "wearing one's heart onone's sleeve." A woman could dothe same type of thing by wearinga charm known as a love-badgenear her heart.

Where now we send out mass-produced Valentine's Day cards,original Valentine's were hand-made and personalized letters.Within them individuals couldwrite their exact sentiments to aloved one.

On February 14th, people nippedby the love bug partake in manycustoms to show their love. Howwill you show that special some-one you care this year?

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The perfect paint color can makeor break any project, whether it’s akitchen remodel, a full exterior re-

paint, or a quick spruce up of anyroom in your home.

For many people, selecting paintcolors for interior walls or the out-side of their home is no easy task.It ranks up there with preparing taxreturns or installing the baby seatin the car “correctly.” It shouldn’tbe a stressful ordeal, but rather afun and creative exercise.

Follow these tips and you’ll beon your way to enjoying a kaleido-scope of colors in your world.

1. Relax and have fun! It’s onlya paint color and you’re supposedto enjoy picking out just the rightcolor for you. Still, you’ve heardof road rage? Well, I’ve seen clas-

sic cases of “paint color selectionrage” many times over the years.With all the possible things in yourlife that could stress you out, don’tlet picking paint colors be one ofthem!

2. Plan ahead and you will giveyourself plenty of time to workthrough the process. It can takedays or even weeks. Don’t rushthrough the process or make a finaldecision while your impatientpainter is tapping his foot waitingfor the fresh sample on the wall todry.

3. Weeks! How can it takeweeks to pick out a paint color?Well, keep in mind it’s importantto see an actual sample of thepaint, not just a small color chip.Many manufacturers now offer

small jars of samples for many oftheir colors, but often you’ll needto purchase a quart of the desiredcolor.

Apply a test patch right on thearea you will be painting, or useposter board and tack up a sample.You’ll want to cover an area atleast 24 inches square and put onenough coats for uniform cover-age. Once you have samples up,it’s important to live with them fora few days. You’ll be amazed athow bright some colors can lookduring the day and how dark theywill look at night. Look at them inthe morning and afternoon to get agood feel for how the natural lightaffects the overall appearance ofthe color. Be sure to wait for acloudy day and see if you still likethe color, it could look drab with-out the sun.

4. Make sure you get the sheenright! Whether you are selectingcolors for interior walls and trim,or exterior areas of your home, thegloss level of the paint can have ahuge impact on how you perceivethe color. A good rule of thumb forinterior painting is flat for ceilings,eggshell or “low luster” finishesfor walls, and semi-gloss finish forwoodwork. One exception is a fullbathroom, where steam may affectthe paint finish. Use a goodmildew and moisture resistantpaint, usually with a satin or semi-gloss sheen, in bathrooms andyou’ll minimize the wear-and-tearof the paint.

For exterior paint, there are myr-iad options for finishes rangingfrom flat to high gloss, stain topaint. Each and every product willhave its own look and feel, and the

same color mixed into two differ-ent products can look dramaticallydifferent. This is another reasonwhy painting a sample of the ac-tual product is so important.You’re not just evaluating thecolor, but ensuring you like how itlooks once it’s applied in variousgloss levels. A good old fashionedbarn red applied in a flat stain willlook a lot more authentic than thesame color in a high gloss enamel,so make sure you test colors in thesame product you will be using forthe entire project.

5. Remember that for interiorcolors, other items in the room canaffect the color. In a kitchen, forexample, you’ll want a color thatworks with the cabinets, countertops, flooring, and accessories. It’sa good idea to finalize all the otheritems first, and then pick a paintcolor that will bring harmony tothe room. It’s a bad idea to pick apaint color and then think you’llquickly be able to find fabrics andother accessories that work withthem. Custom paint colors are eas-ily accessible and affordable. Onthe other hand, custom fabrics, notso much!

6. Don’t be afraid to call a pro-fessional! For some people, colorcoordination comes easy and find-ing a palette of colors is a breeze.For others, the mere thought ofhaving to commit to a color on thewalls is overwhelming. Some-times, hiring a professional de-signer or color consultant is moneywell spent. An experienced, well-trained designer will provide ex-pert advice on how to coordinatethe colors and finishes throughoutyour home.

7. Relax and have fun! Referback to number one on this listwhenever you feel a little stressedor that you’re never going to findthe right color, because you will. Itjust takes a little patience and a lit-tle time. And before you know it,everything will come together.

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Medfield, MA 02052508-359-5900 ext. 201Fax 508-359-4042


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When Wrentham voters hit thepolls in April, they will need to filltwo Board of Selectmen seats. Cur-rently, only two candidates havestepped up and pulled papers. In-cumbent Steve Langley is seekingreelection and Finance Committeemember Charles Kennedy is seek-ing his first term. At press time, Se-lectman Bob Leclair had notdeclared his intentions on whetheror not he was going to seek a returnto the Board. Both Langley andKennedy spent time separately an-swering questions about their mo-tivation for seeking to be on theBoard and their qualifications. Be-cause of schedules, Langley re-sponded to the questions via emailwhile Kennedy discussed the is-sues in person.

Norfolk Wrentham News:What’s your background inserving on the Board of Select-men?

Steve Langley: I was appointed tothe Planning Board in 2001 andwas elected to the Planning Boardin 2002 and served as its Vice Chairfor that year. In 2003 I ran for theBoard of Selectmen and serveduntil 2006. I then lost a reelectioncampaign in 2006 and served onthe Recreation Committee as an as-sociate member and then as a fullmember.

I recaptured a seat on the BOS in2009, serving as Vice Chair untilserving as Chairman in 2010.

Charles Kennedy: I’ve been inWrentham for over 10 years. I'mthe co-owner of a CPA firm inFoxboro. I have a strong financialbackground including an MBAand I hold my CPA in Massachu-setts. My undergraduate and grad-uate degrees are from BostonCollege. In 2008-2009, I was thetreasurer of Wrentham ElementarySchool Trust (WEST) which isWrentham’s Educational founda-tion. From there, someone referredme to interview for the FinanceCommittee. I’ve been performingthose duties since 2009. Fromthose two experiences I have reallylearn how the Town functions.

NWN: What are the pressing is-sues facing Wrentham?

Langley: I believe that one of thepressing issues for the Town is tocontinue to find ways to increaserevenues in order to provide thenecessary services for our residentswhile not dipping into their pocketsmore deeply. We need to protectour town and our residents from in-appropriate development as we

search for appropriate ones. Weneed to continue to keep the levelof discourse at an appropriate levelso that we focus on issues, not per-sonalities.

Kennedy: One of the real chal-lenges, and it came out last year, isthe fact that revenue is in decline,from State aid and auto excise taxesand new growth. Money is excep-tionally tight and it impacts someof the most vulnerable people inWrentham and some of these resi-dents can’t even vote like the chil-dren. This impacts the children’seducation and has impacted publicsafety. I’m not happy when I seethe staffing numbers for publicsafety drop to such low levels. Allof the different departments haveseen significant reductions. Somereductions have been helpful,namely greater efficiency has beenachieved but not in most instances.

NWN: Is Wrentham providingservices at a level you think is ac-ceptable?

Langley: Adequate but not ac-ceptable - there has to be improve-ment. All of us have had to makechoices to prioritize the fundingavailable to us, in our personal andprofessional lives, and the Town isno different. We do not do enoughfor our schools. We need to try todo more. Wrentham Elementarydoes an exceptional job providingfor the educational needs of ourchildren, and they do so effectivelyand efficiently – and have had theirshare of budgetary successes bothby saving and generating revenue.The School Committee, Dr. Mars-den, the staff and all of the manyvolunteers should all be com-mended for their fantastic efforts.Police and Fire staffing has beenraised to a more appropriate level,but not to the level where we needto be. It is a testament to the leadersand the staffs of these departmentswho continue to do battle everyday. We have a tremendously suc-cessful outlet mall which bringsthousands of people to town everyday, many miles of roads and areato cover, along with major road-ways through town. It is impera-tive that we improve and staff, atleast partially, the Sheldonville FireStation – the West end needs morepublic safety support. All of theseput pressure on public safety. Wecontinue to scrub and scour ourbudgets in order to focus on whatis important; cut things where wecan by making those tough choicesand put forth a budget that worksfor the town. We have been creat-

ing processes and laying thegroundwork to prepare for an eco-nomic upturn that we hope willcome soon. We also will continueto work with our elected officials atdifferent government levels to ei-ther help with additional revenue orlessen the burden that unfundedmandates place on our residents.

Kennedy: For Police and Fire thestaffing levels are too low whichhas me concerned. This is not agood situation. We have anywherefrom two to four policemen onduty at any given time. The waythey have it now, because of budgetcuts, if one guy can’t make it in,they’re not paying overtime so thatshift is not filled. For example, ifthere were three police officers as-signed to a shift, if one cannotmake his shift then it is left unfilled.Instead of three officers only twoare protecting Wrentham. I also seeclassroom sizes getting bigger andprograms are being cut. For Wren-tham Schools, the amount wespend per student, is one of thelowest in the state. How muchlower can we go? Do we want tobe last? As far as the high schooland how they compare to the re-gional schools, they’ve been in de-cline. They are well below averageon what they spend compared totheir peers. As a Town, We spendless than 50% on education. Thelast time I looked, Plainville spends62 % on schools. We’re well under

what other towns are willing tospend. The way to turn this aroundis through new revenue growth. Wedon’t want to raise the tax baseabove 2 ½ % and State aid contin-ues to be cut so that leaves increas-ing new growth or cutting services.

NWN: What are your accom-plishments during this most re-cent time on the BOS?

Langley: I have been pleased tohave been a member of productiveBoards for almost three years, in-cluding serving as its Chair for one.I think that we have had many suc-cesses of varying sizes. Iwould classify our hiring of ourTown Administrator in 2010 andthe process for which that was doneas a tremendous success. We alsohad the pleasure to hire our extraor-dinary Fire Chief, Jay McMorrow,who was the right man for the rightjob at the right time. We have gen-erated some additional revenuewith the sale of tax title property,which helped the town tremen-dously. We have also really openedthe door for new members of revi-talized committees, with the EDCand the newly reconstituted Tech-nology Committee and the fruits oftheir labor will be seen soon. Fi-nally, I helped coordinate, alongwith Jerry McGovern Chair of Fin-com, a meeting of all Town Boardsand Committees to foster bettercommunication amongst the vary-ing components of our govern-

ment. This effort has continued,and it holds tremendous promisefor the future.

NWN: Economic Developmentis often cited as needed in Town.What can the Town of Wren-tham do to be attractive for com-mercial development? How doesthe Town protect itself from un-wanted commercial develop-ment?

Langley: The town is alreadyreasonably attractive for commer-cial development because of ourproximity to Routes 495, Route 1and Route 95 – one of the majortenants of development is location,location, location. However, wealso need to work to streamline orexpedite our developmentalprocess– not to do so in order topush development, but to make iteasier for developers to work withour adjudicatory boards to eithermove forward to develop appropri-ate projects and areas, or to havethem denied. We protect our townby continuing to reexamine ourzoning and proactively define whatwe want our town to be, all areasby all people. It is difficult, timeconsuming and does not alwaysfoster total agreement, but we mustfind commonality in our desires forthe town and work to foster thosenecessary changes.

Kennedy: What I want to see issmart controlled growth in specifi-cally targeted areas. From there, Iwant to determine what businessesare best suited for the area andWrentham. It could be a hotel or agrocery store and put them in areasof town that impact the Town theleast. There is always an impact in-cluding the impact in doing noth-ing. Unfortunately we have beenmuch too good as a Town at doingnothing. I’m sure we can accom-plish this but it takes a unified effortstarting with the Board of Select-men. Route 1 is a great example ofwhere smart controlled growthcould be obtained. It’s just ridicu-lous that more isn’t being done onsuch prime real estate. It is a shamethat the owners of the land are pay-ing taxes and they can’t even usethat land to generate revenue andthat’s not right either.

NWN: How do we handle thebudget moving forward?

Langley: Since being honored byelection in 2009, I have advocatedthat all departments that report tothe BOS present their budgets, both

Selectmen Candidates Discuss Wrentham

Charles Kennedy

continued on page 20


operating and capital, to us beforemoving on. The BOS should bethe gatekeeper for items that we donot want to move forward and tosupport those that we do. My firsttwo years on the Board did not nec-essarily allow us to get back to this.The first year we had a Town Ad-ministrator who had his ownprocess, and the second we had anew Town Administrator that hadto get his feet wet. This year we aremoving in that direction, and I amvery excited for this to happen. TheTown still has significant budgetarychallenges to move past, and themessage that was sent last year wasvery clear. The majority of votersdo not want to reach into theirpockets to guarantee that servicesare kept. We therefore have nochoice but to reach for additionaldevelopment in appropriate areasand to make up the revenue that hasbeen lost from state and federal cutbacks. Efficiencies and cost cuttinghave served the town well, but wecannot continue on that path for theforeseeable future. It is not sustain-able.

Kennedy: The Town is faced witha decline in revenue. We haveProposition 2 1/2, but there hasbeen very low growth and reducedexcise taxes. Wrentham is in a stateof decline in what it will receive inState aid for the Town and theschools. This is not going tochange, rather it will accelerateonce the economy improves. Thereason for the decline is the factState aid is a calculation based ontwo factors. One is the propertyvalues which are higher than theState average. The second is in-come level of the residents inWrentham. This information is ob-tained when you filed your per-sonal income tax returns. TheState, with its calculations, saysthat Wrentham can afford more soWrentham is going to receive less.What makes this especially devas-tating is the decline in State aid atthe same time certain expenses arerising. Expenses such as health in-surance are going up rapidly aswell as utilities such as electricityand fuel. Most of the focus the pastfew years has solely been to reduceexpenses. Well, we have taken thatquite far and we cannot keep laying

people off. There is a point whenservices are greatly impacted. Myfocus is, improve revenue andcommunicate those efforts to theresidents. They need to be in-formed and included on these ef-forts.

NWN: Describe the political cli-mate in Wrentham and how itimpacts the town? Is it better orworse these days, and what doyou attribute to the change, ifthere is one?

Langley: The political climate intown is challenging. The variousinterested parties tend to focus onpersonality and name calling whenchallenging different ideas or waysof doing things. It is difficult forpeople to want to work in this typeof environment. Having said this,I do think that things have been dif-ferent since I was elected. I attrib-ute the change to a number ofthings. First, and I think that mostimportantly, is that the vast major-ity of town residents had growntired of the shenanigans that passedfor politics in town and have re-sponded accordingly. They havefocused more intently on the meat

of an issue as opposed to the polit-ical defamations that often swirledabout them. I also think that mycampaign promise 3 years ago, tocommunicate professionally andrespectfully and focus on issues asopposed to personalities, hashelped change the tenor of theboard. I think that it is important tolead via that example and it makesa difference on our board and in theoverall political tenor of the town.

Kennedy: I see the politics in

Town as cautious and slow to ac-cept change. The reason I believethis is the case is because of a lackof communication; communica-tion between residents and the var-ious committees, boards andoutside companies looking to con-duct business in Wrentham. We re-ally need to have much bettercommunications. In this day andage, we can disseminate informa-tion faster, more in depth than everbefore. One way to start is haveeveryone’s email address, so peo-ple can receive reminders andknow what’s going on in Town.The web site is being revised whichis aimed at better communication.But that is just the beginning. Somuch more must be done to informresidents before a Town Meeting. Itoo am surprised at informationpassed out at these meetings thatshould have been available weekssooner. Another concern is the di-vision I see in Town. I’m lookingforward to bringing various groupstogether to improve the Town fur-ther. I will tell you right now, I’mnot a person to complain about asituation or issue, I would ratherwork on a solution.

Steve Langley

THE PURR-FECT CAT SHELTERPet of theMonth

Looking for your specialValentine? The Purr-fectCat Shelter has many catsthat would love to be yourValentine! One of themany loving, adorable kit-ties looking to melt yourheart is “Jasper.”

“Jasper” is a very sweet,older kitten with stunning,gray tiger markings and astory of beating very diffi-cult odds. The shelter wasworking a feral colony ina neighboring communitywhen we trapped Jasper.It’s astonishing that he wasable to even get in the trap!You see, “Jasper” was born with adeformed right rear leg that stuckstraight up in the air like a flag-

pole. Even the veterinarian said hehad never seen anything quite likeit. Jasper had to have his leg am-putated, and this amazing little

guy has shown the courage of alion. There is no way he wouldhave survived outside, and we arehappy we were able to provide

him the medical care heneeded. Jasper is active,playful, loves to cuddle andwould do well with a felinefriend. He is adjusting re-markably, as animals do,and is ready for his newhome and to be your Valen-tine forever.

All cats and kittens are ex-amined by a veterinarian,spayed or neutered, testedfor feline leukemia and FIV,dewormed, vaccinated andmicrochipped prior to adop-tion. Applications are avail-able online atwww.purrfectcatshelter.org

or by calling the message center(508) 533-5855.

Come enjoy a fun afternoon at

the FUR BOWL, Sunday, March4 at Ryan Family Amusements,Rt. 109, Millis and help supporthomeless animals. Registrationbegins at 4pm bowling will start at4:30pm. Your registration fee of$20 includes 2 games of bowling,shoe rental, refreshments, and achance to win one of several raffleprizes. All ages and skill levelswelcome. Prizes will be awardedin a variety of categories. Visit ourwebsite or call the message centerfor registration forms and more in-formation. All proceeds directlybenefit the cats and kittens of theshelter. The Purr-fect Cat Shelteris a non-profit, no-kill, all volun-teer organization serving the areassurrounding Medway, Millis Nor-folk, Walpole and Bellingham.

Three-Legs and One Great Big Heart Help “Jasper” Find a Forever Home this Valentine’s Day

continued from page 19

BY KEN HAMWEYStaff Sports Writer

King Philip Regional’s wrestlingteam is gearing up for the Division2 Central Sectional that gets underway on Feb. 3.

Coach Mike Ragusa’s Warriors,who had a record of 3-6 after ninedual meets, are hoping to behealthy and focused when theycompete against the likes of Con-cord-Carlisle, Milford and Quab-bin.

Ragusa, who’s in his third year asKP’s coach, knows his forces arefar from favored to win the sec-tional but he admires the way hiswrestlers have remained commit-ted and enthusiastic.

“Our goal at the start of the sea-son was to win the sectional tour-ney,’’ Ragusa said. “What westressed during the regular seasonwas to improve every day, staywell-conditioned, develop individ-ual skills, get comfortable in all sit-uations on the mat and to bementally ready at all times. To winthe sectional, we’ll need to behealthy and intense. Luck alsocould play a role. We’ll need goodteams to have a bad day .’’

Nothing is ever a sure thing, es-pecially in wrestling, but KP’sLogan David should be in the spot-

light at the sectional tourney. Thesenior, who has wrestled this sea-son at 120 pounds, is a two-timesectional and state champion. Healso has finished third and fourththe last two years in the All-StateMeet. So far this season, David hasmanaged a record of 16-0.

“Logan’s goal this year is to wina New England title,’’ Ragusa said.“Off the mat, he’s very humble.On it, he’s tough and mean. He’sgot a refuse-to-lose attitude, heworks hard every day and he’s agreat technical wrestler. He’s oneof the best wrestlers in the Hocko-mock League.’’

Ragusa expects senior Tyler Flo-rio, who won a sectional title lastyear at 160, and another senior,Will Purdue (152), to producegood results this weekend. Purduewrestled only in dual meets lastyear. Their regular-season recordsso far this year are impressive. Pur-due is 11-8 and Florio is 12-3.

“Will is extremely tough and de-termined,’’ Ragusa said. “He’svery intelligent and he hates tolose. Tyler is willing to learn, lovesto practice and relies on year-roundexperience.’’

Sophomore Charlie Edney (132)may be young but he shouldn’t bedownplayed. As a freshman,

wrestling at 125 and 130 pounds,he compiled a 20-win season. Thisyear, Edney has managed a 5-3record in eight bouts.

“Charlie is determined, quickand also very coachable,’’ Ragusaenthused. “He’s got lots of matsense, which he developed byworking on the sport year-round.’’

One junior who could play a keyrole for KP is Joe Rico (138), whohas an 8-8 record.

“Joe should be solid in the post-season,’’ Ragusa said. “He’s de-veloped into a quality competitor.’’

Sophomore Austin Greenstein(138-145) should be a factor in thesectional along with senior LeeSlamin. Greenstein is a talentedmatman who was solid during hisrookie season last year. Slamin hasexperience in the higher weightclasses (220 or heavyweight).

“As a team, our group gained ex-perience and sharpened their tech-nical skills,’’ Ragusa said. “Theyounger kids looked up to the vet-erans and were very coachable. Wehad 20 wrestlers on our roster,which was without 10 graduatedseniors. I’m okay with the way theseason has progressed in spite ofsome key injuries and I’m lookingforward to seeing us compete atthe sectional.’’

The 27-year-old Ragusa, whosefirst two years at KP produced apair of .500 teams, is no stranger towrestling. He was a three-timeHockomock League all-star atFoxboro and the league’s MVP hissenior year. Competing at the Uni-versity of Buffalo, he earned a sloton the Mid-American Confer-ence’s all-academic team.

“What’s so rewarding aboutwrestling is the wonderful life les-sons that can be learned,’’ Ragusasaid. “It’s about team-building,teamwork, overcoming adversity,

achieving goals and focusing ontime management. Those are justsome areas that can help student-athletes in real-life situations.’’

Ragusa lauded his corps of assis-tant coaches which includes ScottFlaherty and Andy McNeil.

The two assistants and Ragusa nodoubt will have their eyes glued tothe mat this weekend. The sec-tional championship has been onKP’s radar screen since the start ofthe season. And, now that the eventis just days away, the Warriors planto answer the bell.

They may be underdogs butthey’re hoping to generate the kindof success that could lead to amajor upset.


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Sports

VACATION HORSE-BACK RIDINGAt October Farm

Ages 8 - 16

Jill Swift, Licensed Riding Instructor

MONDAY – FRIDAY:9:00a.m.– 12:00p.m.

February 20-24 and/or April 16-20

October Farm is a 26-stall board-ing/training facility on MillerStreet in Norfolk. Join the experi-enced, licensed and insured in-structors for these wonderfulvacation programs. Activities in-clude: horsemanship, safety,grooming, tacking, riding, arts &crafts. Participants should wearlong pants, sturdy boots with a lowheel. Pack 2 snacks and at least 2water bottle/drinks. Riders willneed to bring their own riding hel-met (ASTM/SEI) approved. Nobike helmets please. Please bringa change of clothes-includingshorts. Please call Jill directly at

978-257-1173 to arrange a visitand for inquiry forms prior to reg-istering with Norfolk Recreation.

Location: October Farm, 39Miller Street, Norfolk, Fee: $295

ADVANCED INDOOR FIELDHOCKEYGrades 5-8

With King Philip’s Varsity CoachLiz Hathaway

MONDAYS at 4:30-6:00p.m.

DATES: 1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27

Attention Chicks with Sticks!Are you ready for the next level?This program, specifically de-signed for those with a previousseason’s or clinic’s experience, isfast paced and designed to im-prove your handling skills andfootwork. Varsity Coaches arecoaching this clinic aimed at thoseready for intensive skill and drill.Girls must have own equipment.Come join us for an action packedMonday! Field Hockey sticks willbe taped. If you need a new stick,let us know, we may be able tohelp with loaners or new pur-

chases.

Location: King Philip MiddleSchool Auxiliary Gym

Fee: $75

CREATING PHOTOBOOKS WITH YOURDIGITAL IMAGESInstructor: Bob Sheppard

TUESDAYS at 10:00-11:30a.m.

DATES: 2/14, (no class 2/21),2/28, 3/6,3/13

These books are phenomenalhard bound books-the quality isthat of purchased coffee-tablebooks, but these are better; the pic-tures are your own.! This 4-weekcourse will teach you how to pro-duce fantastic photo books and al-bums using your digital imagesand free software on the internet.The books are produced on yourown computer, at your own pace,with no Internet connection re-quired until you finish. Books canbe any number of pages and areavailable in sizes up to 11” x 14”in both hard and soft cover. Thisis the most economical way to pre-serve, collect and show your digi-tal pictures. We will take youthrough the systematic productionof a book and also provide assis-tance to you while you create yourown masterpiece. Students shouldhave a collection of digital imagesand an idea of the topic/subject forthe book. Several examples willbe presented that were created fora variety of special occasions.

Location: Norfolk Public Library,Fee: $ 45

LUNCHTIME YOGAInstructor: Donna Sherman

MONDAYS at Noon-1:00p.m.

Session 2: 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26,4/2, 4/9 (February classes areavailable for prorated price)

Re-energize. Recharge. Redis-cover that flexible strong and freefeeling with fitness through yoga.We will focus on stretching andstrengthening virtually everymuscle in your body, and focus-ing on calming the mind. All arewelcome; but not suitable forthose with current injuries. Savemoney for joining for two ses-

sions at one time. Wear comfort-able, layered clothing, and bringyour water bottle.

Location: Multipurpose Room,Town Hall

Fee: Session2: $59

GIRLS FRIDAYNIGHT VOLLEYBALLGrades 4-6 and 7-8

Instructors: Metro West CoachKayla Marceau

FRIDAYS: 7:15-8:15p.m. Grades 4-6

6:15-7:15pm Grades 7-8

Session 1: 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10,2/17 (will prorate)

Session 2: 3/2, 3/9, 3/16, 3/23,3/30

Girls Volleyball is back! Join usfor this great instructional programwhich will get you on the road toplaying and improving yourgame. Learn the game or preparefor comptetive play! Kayla is aMetroWest coach and loves tobring the sport to as many girls aspossible. Join us Friday eveningsfor this fun, action packed sport.

Location: HOD Gym – rear ofschool entrance

Fee: $49 per session

FUTSAL–ADULT INDOOR SOCCERWEDNESDAYS at 7:00-8:45p.m.

DATES: 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, (no class2/22), 2/29, 3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 3/28

FUTSAL is played in a gymna-sium with a low bounce ball wherethe focus is on short passes. Jointhe fun and get some GREAT ex-ercise. This is a friendly, co-ed ac-tivity geared toward beginner tointermediate skill levels.

Court shoes or indoor soccershoes required.

Questions? Bob Lacasse,email: [email protected]

Location: H.O.D. Gym(double doors at rear of school)Fee: $35

Wrentham’s John Dean contin-ued his football season making thetrip to San Antonio, TX as part ofthe Football University 8th GradeAll-Star Team from Massachu-setts. The Massachusetts teamfaced the Texas All-Star teamfalling short 12-7 against the LoneStar team. The game was the first-ever Football University NationalChampionship for 8th graders.Held in the Alamodome, Dean’s

team were in the game until theclosing minutes mounting a finaldrive that stalled on a fourth andthree play with just 1:36 left in thegame. Three local seventh gradersmade the Massachusetts All-Starteam for their grade. DanielLoewen and Brett Mazur, bothfrom Wrentham, and Norfolk’s JCRalff made the seventh grade team.

Wrentham Youth Baseball andSoftball Association is now ac-cepting registration for the springseason and winter clinics. Theclinics start February 18th and run

every Saturday through March31st. To register visit the group’sweb site at www.wybsa.net. Reg-istration closes on February 18thand opening day is April 22nd.

Norfolk Recreation Programs 8th Grader Plays inNational Playoffs

WYBSA Registration is Open

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.D. MURPHY

JJCONSTRUCTION

Building • Remodeling • AdditionsKitchens • Baths • Replacement Windows • Decks • Garages

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home M A R K E T P L A C E

O'NEIL AND ASSOCIATES667 South Street, Wampum CornerWrentham, MassachusettsOffice: 508-384-8121www.century21oneil.com

$500.00 Rebate!!This certificate entitles you to

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by April 30th, 2012OR

Buy a home with us and close by April 30th, 2012

Interested in a daily update direct from the Multiple Listing Service?Email us at [email protected]. We would be pleased to assist you!

From the early 1990s to the be-ginning of this century, "bigger isbetter" certainly was the mantra ofthe home-building industry. Allacross North America buyerscould browse among home devel-opments boasting homes of 3,000square feet or larger and multiplebedrooms and bathrooms. But ac-cording to new data, home buyersare seeking less space today butmore in green amenities.

Research by the Canadian HomeBuilders' Association has foundthat many people now desiresmaller homes with multipurposerooms and energy saving features.They're not ready to trade in theirtwo- and three-car garages just yet,though. Plus, a survey of Interna-tional Furnishings and Design As-sociation members forecasts thatMcMansions will become a thingof the past and more emphasis willbe placed on smaller, more eco-friendly homes. Family rooms willgrow larger, as will kitchens. Otherrooms in the home will disappear,including the living room.

Many homeowners and potentialhome buyers realize that with girthcomes a cost. In today's fragileeconomy, the ability to cash in onthe dream of homeownership maycome at the compromise of asmaller, better-planned home.

According to Tim Bailey, themanager of Avid Canada, a re-

search and consulting firm for thebuilding industry, "While manyconsumers are willing to forgospace, they are not equating thiswith having to forfeit functionality.Design creativity is requisite toadapt to this changing preference."

Here are some things that youwill and will not find in newerhomes moving forward.

* The dining room is becomingextinct, with larger, eat-in-kitchen/entertaining spaces thenorm. The kitchen will be the mainroom of the home and be renamedthe "kitchen lounge."

* Separate rooms are evolvinginto spaces that serve many differ-ent purposes.

* Although the sizes of bath-rooms may be scaled back, theamenities will not. Spa-style bath-rooms with luxurious products,high-tech features and televisionswill be on the rise.

* The master bedroom suite maynot shrink in size, but it could becombined to form a home officeand exercise space.

* Expect to see more high-techofferings, such as voice- or mo-tion-activation devices in thehome. Lighting, entertainmentgear, heating/cooling systems, andeven blinds could be hooked up toa master control system.

* Thanks to an increasing num-ber of people working from home,the presence of a dedicated homeoffice is a given in newer homes.Nearly 40 percent of industry fore-casters say that they expect one inevery home.

* Home storage solutions willalso be a vital component of newhomes. Builders will create cleversolutions for mixing storage intomore compact spaces.

* With aging Baby Boomerscomprising a larger segment ofhome buyers, expect to see moreone-level homes, or at least homeswhere there is a master suite andthe majority of the living space onthe first level.

Part of what is driving this trendis the cost of homes in relation tospace and the increased interest inenvironmental conservation.Smaller, more efficient homes re-quire less in terms of heating andcooling energy. They need less fur-niture, and new materials madefrom sustainable products help fur-ther fuel green initiatives in thebuilding industry. Energy efficienthomes are a main priority for buy-ers. Although the homes may besmaller, they will not be miniscule.And home buyers can expect ahost of amenities that will makethe smaller size of homes barelyperceptible.

New Homes Are Getting Smaller

Advancements in technologyhave made it easier than ever be-fore for homeowners to create amini movie theater in the comfortof their own homes. The afford-ability of home-theater systemsand big-screen televisions, oncedeemed a luxury only available tothe super-wealthy, has made itpossible for everyone to enjoy the-ater-style entertainment at home.

But one thing that can put adamper on those home-theaterplans is external noise. Movie the-aters are soundproof so customerscan't hear noise from the nearbyfreeway or their fellow moviego-ers "oohing" and "aahing" in thetheater next door. Private homes,however, are not so soundproof, sohomeowners must take it uponthemselves to soundproof theirhomes to create the ultimatehome-theater experience. The fol-lowing are some of the wayshomeowners can do just that.

* Add some layers of drywall.An extra layer or two of drywallwill block sound coming fromneighboring rooms. Simply add alayer or two of drywall to the ex-

isting wall.

* Install double-paned windows.If it's noise from outside the homethat's ruining your home theaterexperience, then consider in-stalling double-paned windowswith acrylic frames. Such a jobcan be costly, so if it's going to bea budget-buster, then sound-dead-ening drapes are a cheaper alter-native that can also be effective.

* Decorate the home withsound-absorbent items. Anotherway to soundproof a home is todecorate the house with sound-ab-sorbent items. Furnishings withsubstantial cushioning, carpetingand fabric on the walls will eachabsorb sound, reducing the trans-fer of sound from room to room.Upstairs rooms should be carpetedto further reduce the transfer ofsound.

* Install soundproofing tile onceilings. Soundproofing tile onceilings is another effective way toreduce the transference of soundfrom room to room and keep ex-ternal noise out of the home-the-ater room.

Simple Ways toSoundproof a Home

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Norfolk/Wrentham February 2012